"Je vous déteste, les hommes!"... Nila Cara from "La Vénus aveugle" (1941)

A great song from the movie "La vénus aveugle" (Blind Venus), a melodrama directed by the famed Abel Gance and starring Vivian Romance, superstar of French cinema in the 1930's and '40's.

The song means "I hate all of you men" and is about cruel treatment women suffer at the hands of uncaring, selfish men... In the movie it was sung by Viviane Romance in the movie but a commercial recording was made by Nila Cara, a now forgotten singer of the 1940's.

"La Vénus aveugle" is a flamboyant camp melodrama about a model/singer, Clarisse (Romance) who discovers she is losing her eyesight... Because she does not want to become a burden to Madère, her fiancé, she makes him believe she no longer loves him. He leaves and marries Gisèle, a much richer woman. A few months later Clarisse gives birth to a child... She plans on telling her Madère the truth about her illness and hopes their child will bring them together. When he returns Clarisse finds out he is not only married but also has a child with his new wive... Clarisse decides not to say anything. One evening her child dies of meningitis and she grows increasingly blind. Gisèle senses that Madère is still in love with Clarisse and leaves her husband and young daughter... Madère returns to Clarisse who grows to accept her illness and new family...

Filming started in November 1940 at the Studios de la Victorine in Nice. The movie's title was changed several times... From "La sublime Comédie", "Messaline" to "La Sirène aux yeux morts" to finally "La Vénus aveugle". It was not a happy shoot as Viviane Romance did not get along with the actress Mary Lou (=Sylvie Gance- wive of the director)who played her paraplegic sister. Tensions rose and a third of the movie was directed by Edmond T. Greville. In addition Viviane Romance disliked the over the top scenario intensly.

Finally the movie premiered in September 1941 in Vichy, capital of the "Zone libre" (the part of France not occupied by the German army, but ruled by the collaborationist government headed by Maréchal Pétain) in the presence of Maréchal Pétain to whom the movie was dedicated. Its release in the rest of France was held up almost 2 years and after cuts to the movie imposed by (German) censors it premiered in Paris on 1 November 1943.

Of the singer not much is known, she she was part of the generation of the "chanteuses de charme" that flourished during the war years and included such names as Lucienne Delyle, Léo Marjane, Simone Lallier, Roberta, Yolanda, Rose Avril and many others... Except for the first two most of these are forgotten now...
Enjoy!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Viviane
• Romance
• diva
• chanteuse
• 1941
• Venus
• aveugle
• France
• Paris
• occupation
• chanson
• 1939-1945
• Léo
• Marjane
• Lucienne
• Delyle

[jurek46pink]

..."a now forgotten singer"...

How many of them - wonderful and forgotten - are to be re-found by us here...-

[pjtuloup]

Très en avance sur son temps, cette chanson, avec tous les stupides poncifs féministes qu'elle contient.

[tychaton08]

MMMMMmmmm, quand même...laissons la chance au coureur!

[vertxxgg]

son 78 "Pour 100.000 Fr par mois"(Lucchesi) PATHE PA2159 (1943)voir mon coment au VIDEO,Mademoiselle Swing-

[vertxxgg]

bouche pulpeuse..a L'AIGLON rue Berri...transfuge du BOEUF SUR LE TOIT avec Louis Moyses.1941

[batlameita]

brilliant!

[camille885]

Je ne connaissais pas Nila Cara, mais la chanson est vraiment super! L'orchestration est très bien réussie.